2021-2022 Performance Season – Live in Arizona
Misa Azteca
Misa Azteca is a staged, concert piece for orchestra, choir, soloists and pre-Columbian percussion ensemble by composer Joseph Julian Gonzalez. It is based on the “ordinary” and “proper” of the Roman Catholic High Mass and verses from the Cantares Mexicanos, a collection of pre- and post-conquest verse of the Mexica (the Aztecs). Misa Azteca is sung in Latin, Spanish and Nahuatl, hybridizing two cultures and religions into a unique eight-movement, oratorio-style, musical celebration. This concert was presented in collaboration with the Carolyn Eynon Singers. In addition, Mexican-American dancers from Ballet Folklorico of the Ollin Yoliztli Dance Academy in Phoenix gave beautiful, energetic dance performances 45 minutes before the concerts, and visual artists from the Arizona Latino Arts & Culture Center displayed their artworks at the venues, putting everyone in the mood for the Mariachi-style music.
Performance times/venues:
April 2 at 7:00 pm at Barry Goldwater HS Performing Arts Center in Phoenix
April 3 at 3:30 pm at American Lutheran Church in Sun City
Musical Champagne Salon 2022
As always, ProMusica Arizona’s 2022 Musical Champagne Salon was held in an exquisite private home in the Anthem Country Club. Guests were treated to an enjoyable evening of musical performances by talented ProMusica soloists and small ensembles. A wide variety of heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts, plus champagne, wine, and other beverages, was served and enjoyed indoors and outdoors.
Salon date and time:
March 19 at 6:00 pm
An Arizona Holiday
Our December concert this year was in collaboration with the Arizona Christian University Firestorm Chorale. It featured traditional festive holiday fare as well as works by Arizona composers, most with a connection to ProMusica Arizona. Arrangements of well-known Christmas carols by our own Aaron Smith (tenor section leader), Frank Darmiento (trombone), Dana Graybeal (retired music teacher – Thunderbird HS and Phoenix College), and Craig Bohmler (Riders of the Purple Sage composer and ProMusica Arizona friend) delighted our audiences.
Performance times/venues:
December 4 at 7:00 pm at Barry Goldwater HS Performing Arts Center in Phoenix
December 5 at 3:30 pm at American Lutheran Church in Sun City
An Arizona Holiday was sponsored by Andrew Z Diamonds & Fine Jewelry in Anthem, AZ. Visit their website at www.andrewzdiamonds.com.
Let Music Live!
Exploring the joy that music brings to our lives, the first concert of our 19th season contained both celebration and contemplation. The program began with “Come to the Music.” Next, “The Awakening” for choir and orchestra by Joseph Martin described a world of silence, then erupted into the joyous exclamation, “Let music never die in me, forever let my spirit sing, let music live!” The Chorale and Women in Song continued this theme throughout the concert, singing texts about how music touches our lives. The orchestra played Beethoven’s powerful “Egmont Overture” and a short Haydn symphony. As the finale, the combined ensembles performed “If Music be the Food of Love, Sing On!”
Performance times/venues:
October 16 at 7:00 pm at Boulder Creek HS Performing Arts Center in Anthem
October 17 at 3:30 pm at American Lutheran Church in Sun City